In Juba, South Sudan, contentious security legislation allowing arrests without warrants has officially become law, even though President Salva Kiir has not signed it, confirmed parliament’s spokesperson Oliver Mori on Thursday. According to Mori, the bill automatically transitioned into law as per the constitution after 30 days had passed since it was presented to President Kiir back on July 12.

Despite Kiir’s decision not to sign or veto the law, which has faced backlash from human rights activists and some nations, it has now been enacted. Nine Western envoys, including representatives from the U.S. and Britain, expressed concerns in July over the rights of South Sudanese individuals to engage freely in political and civic activities without the threat of arbitrary arrests or intimidation by security forces.

Scheduled for December 22, South Sudan’s upcoming election will be the first under the transitional government established following the peace agreement of 2018, ending a devastating five-year civil conflict that claimed nearly 400,000 lives. However, the introduction of the new law has caused friction in discussions between the government and opposition factions excluded from the 2018 peace deal.

Yasmin Sooka, the head of the U.N. Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan, raised alarms about the law’s potential to empower security agencies to carry out more arbitrary detentions and forced disappearances. Sooka urged President Kiir and parliament to promptly reassess the situation and review the legislation through democratic processes to enhance credibility and legitimacy, highlighting the contradiction between the law’s enactment and South Sudan’s commitments to its citizens and the international community.

Ter Manyang Gatwech, the executive director of the local rights organization Center for Peace and Advocacy, declared intentions to contest the law in court, emphasizing its direct threat to the nation and the safety of its inhabitants due to its nature. The U.S. State Department spokesperson, Mathew Miller, stressed the importance last month for South Sudan’s transitional government to swiftly establish an environment where people can express their opinions openly and fearlessly.